


Lineage

by Ilya_Boltagon, steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb



Series: Blue [5]
Category: Inhumans
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2019-10-08 22:20:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 15,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17394743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilya_Boltagon/pseuds/Ilya_Boltagon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb/pseuds/steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeb
Summary: Twenty years after meeting her biological father, Maeve discovers that her birth and adoption were not as peaceful as once told.  As her family grows up around her, Maeve looks back.





	1. Chapter 1

Maeve decided long ago that mass Inhuman gatherings, especially solemn formal ones, were the _worst._ They defined the word ‘tedious.’

Maybe it was the fact that the only time she attended such events involved the royal family, which made them take forever and a day to finish. Ahura’s wedding took _hours_ since the officiant had to read through the Boltagon lineage all the way to Randac; there were only about 100 names but details about each ruler were given as well. Most weddings Maeve attended (human weddings) were an hour or two at most, but since Ahura was the heir apparent to the throne of New Attilan, his took all day.

Even funerals took all day, or at least they did for the monarchy. Black Bolt’s father, Agon, was nearly 160 years old when he finally passed about a week ago, so there was a lot of life to recount. Maeve was heartbroken for the next few days as she spent time with her biological family, and she had to constantly remind herself that Papaw Agon was finally at peace and reunited with his wife.

Although the population of New Attilan barely reached 2000, Inhumans from the various tribes and factions also attended which made the funeral standing-room only. The only exceptions were Ahura’s heavily pregnant wife and various elders. Throughout the funeral, Maeve frequently glanced over to find her uncle at the most emotional she’d ever seen him. Black Bolt, whose emotional control was phenomenal, allowed himself a few tears but Maeve could see that her uncle was struggling to maintain control by the way he clenched his jaw or looked at the ground in front of him.

Death was not a stranger to Maeve, but the loss of her Papaw Agon still hurt her deeply. Her adoptive father reassured her with many of the same cliches that he assured his parishioners, that Agon was whole and without pain as he worshipped at the Throne, reminding her that Agon’s current state was her future hope. Norm’s words were a salve, a band-aid at best, and they did not help Maeve much when it came to her biological father, Maximus.

Maximus stood alongside Black Bolt, his hands clasped behind his back. As was the custom, Black Bolt’s wife and children stood to his left, Maximus to his right. Black Bolt would receive the urn holding his father’s ashes, then Lockjaw would teleport he and Maximus to the moon briefly to bury the ashes at Agon’s request. In a somewhat morbidly hysterical state yesterday, after Maeve exhausted herself with tears, she giggled to herself at Agon’s request and found it funny that humans spread their ashes at sea, whereas Inhumans did so at the Sea of Tranquility.

She could see that Maximus was also struggling to hold his composure by the way he twisted and spun his medical bracelet around his wrist. Whenever nervous or emotionally overstimulated, Maximus would fidget with the device that delivered psychiatric medication to his bloodstream on a daily basis. Maeve wrapped her arm around his elbow and rubbed his bicep to comfort her biological father, sadly smiling at him when he looked down at her touch. She spent more time than she had in quite a while with Maximus over the past few days helping him process the death of his father a second time.

With the formal procession and ceremony completed, the Inhumans formed lines to shake hands with the royal family and offer their condolences. Humans did the same at their funerals, but they were also only attended by a few hundred people at most depending on the person’s connections. It would take _hours_ to work through the receiving line, which Maeve did not look forward to. Most of the Inhumans did not formally recognize her nobility, so she was often skipped. Maeve’s equivalent would be to that of a duchess, but Inhumans did not recognize titles outside the immediate royal family.

Ahura’s face registered anguish throughout the ceremony. Not only did he lose his grandfather, he lost the opportunity to introduce Agon to his great-granddaughter in person. With only days remaining in Irelle’s pregnancy, a week at most, everyone fully expected the baby to arrive while Agon still lived. True, Agon’s mental faculties were questionable at best by the end so there was no telling if Agon would even recognize her. Ahura liked to think that Agon would understand but at the same time, by the end Ahura had to re-introduce himself and Irelle to his grandfather every time they visited.

Of the twins, both of whom were now tall and lean like their mother, Anora had the stronger reaction to losing their grandfather. Agon doted on Anora as well as Maeve, and throughout the funeral she spent much of the ceremony gripping Daryn’s hand until her knuckles turned white. The physical contact allowed Daryn to utilize his gift and siphon some of her anguish so they could share the burden, getting Anora through the ceremony.

After the larger ceremony, the family adjourned to say their final goodbyes privately. This was the hardest part for Maeve, watching her cousins, aunts, and uncles in such an intimate moment. When it was Maeve’s turn, she found that she did not have anything new to add. She simply touched the urn a final time and returned to Maximus. Everything Maeve wanted Agon to know she said in her prayers, so talking to a ceramic pot did little for her. She was mostly there to support the rest of her family.

Once Black Bolt and Maximus teleported away with the urn, many family members let out a breath they didn’t even notice they’d been holding. Without Maximus around, Maeve felt somewhat out of place so she wandered over to Irelle seated apart from the rest of the family.

“How are you feeling?”

Irelle massaged the side of her enormous belly. “I am so ready for this baby to be out of me,” she whined, though Maeve could see Irelle was being facetious. “Her eviction notice is about to be served if she’s not here by the end of the week.”

It was such a human-sounding phrase, Maeve had to giggle. Irelle and her twin, Treste, picked up many human phrases from Frank McGee over the years.

“Do you have everything ready at home? It’s been a while since Ahura visited Mom and Dad, and they asked if there was anything else you needed.”

Irelle crossed her ankles and mentally went through what they already had versus what they needed. “No, I think we are ready. Between Ahura and Frank, you’d think this was the first baby either of them ever met. They’re both so nervous about her arrival, it’s cute.”

Ahura chose that moment to join them, and Irelle and Maeve instantly switched from speaking to signing. “ _Everything okay?_ ”

Irelle nodded and reached for Ahura’s hand. “ _Maeve was saying that you need to visit Norm and Verna more often. We should invite them over before the baby gets here._ ”

“ _Trust me,_ ” Maeve interjected, “ _the moment Mom and Dad see the baby, the rest of the world will cease to exist._ ”

Ahura laid his hand across Irelle’s stomach in various spots, trying to feel the baby’s movement. By this time she ran out of room to move so he only felt the odd kick. Often at night when they lay together in bed he felt the baby squirm a bit more. “ _We have time this afternoon, if they can do that._ ”

Maeve looked into her bag for her phone. “ _I’ll text mom and ask her, I don’t think they have anything going on unless dad has something to do at the church. Oh, mom wants to know what you’re naming her._ ”

Ahura gave an impish grin. “ _Nice try, we aren’t telling anyone her name until she gets here._ ” They had her name picked out before Irelle was even showing, thanks to Agon. Thinking about that fact made Ahura sad, and Irelle squeezed his hand when she noticed Ahura’s face suddenly fall.

Maeve briefly stuck her tongue out at her cousin as she swept her blonde hair back over her shoulder. In doing so, she accidentally swatted Gerry, Reader and Rila’s son, in the face with her hair. Gerry served as Ahura’s primary interpreter now due to his ability to converse in many languages, which made doing business far easier for Ahura. Today Gerry had the somber assignment of interpreting for Agon’s funeral.

Maeve immediately jumped into apologetics. “Oh! I’m so sorry, Ger, I wasn’t paying attention.”

Gerry quickly interpreted what Maeve said, then signed and spoke at the same time. “Hey, don’t worry about it. Just wanted to see if you needed me for anything else, boss.”

Ahura shook his head, massaging Irelle’s hand with his own. “ _No, we’re fine. I’ll message you when the baby is on her way or if the midwives decide to remove her surgically._ ” If Irelle was not in labor before the end of the week, the baby would be too big to birth naturally. Irelle hoped to Randac that the baby would make some progress before then. Since it was so close to the birth, Ahura planned to stay home with his wife rather than go into work at Ennilux. This gave Gerry the week off from standard assignments but also “on-call” for whenever Ahura would need him.

Gerry waved to everyone and looked around for his father so they could head for the bridge that led into New York City. Maeve watched them go, noting how much Gerry looked like his father. They looked similar by default; his mother Rila had purple skin. Gerry had the same strawberry blond hair as Reader, the same straight rigid nose, the hairline that started fairly high up on his forehead. Maybe if Maeve saw what Rila looked like before encountering the terrigen cloud, she could see more of Rila in Gerry.

The murmuring suddenly grew quiet when Black Bolt and Maximus returned, Black Bolt empty-handed. Based on his puffy red eyes, Maeve reasoned that Black Bolt allowed himself to cry as they buried the urn, away from the general public and family. Maximus retained his stoic face but continuously worried the bracelet on his wrist. When he found Maeve, he forced himself to smile.

“OnaMae, what are your plans this evening?”

Maeve loved the nickname Maximus gave her, which combined the name her birthmother gave her and the Inhuman name Maximus gave her. She scoot backwards somewhat so Ahura could see the conversation. “Mom and dad might visit with Ahura later today, so I’ll probably be with them.”

If it bothered Maximus that Maeve did not call him “dad” or “father,” he never showed it. Instead he seemed more concerned that she did not have time for him. “Oh, I wondered if you would like to have dinner with me this evening, but we can arrange another time.”

Maeve wrapped her arm around her father’s neck and squeezed. “This weekend I don’t have any plans, we can make a day of it on Saturday.”

The prospect of spending an entire day with his daughter brightened his mood as Maximus held the hug for a few more moments. His little girl was no longer little, so he could no longer carry her or pick her up. Instead the occasional hug sufficed. A little over twenty years ago, before her 7th birthday, Maeve gradually warmed up to Maximus touching her hand or shoulder. As she became more comfortable around him, she willingly gave him hugs once she understood some of his difficulties with other Inhumans. Since so many avoided him, Maximus was often starved for touch.

“ _Well, we should get home if Norm and Verna are coming over, I’m sure the apartment is disastrous right now,_ ” Irelle interjected. “ _And I need to rest my feet._ ” Ahura helped Irelle stand and offered his arm to her if she needed the support.

The pair left Maeve and Maximus to themselves, slowly shuffling over to Black Bolt and Medusa to say goodbye. Maeve tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and checked her phone when it buzzed. “Oh, that’s mom, she wants me to pick up some milk on the way home. I’ll message you later this week and we can plan our day. How does that sound?”

Maximus smiled and nodded, resuming his stiff posture with his arms behind his back. “I look forward to our day together.”

“I’m analyzing some gene sequences this week you might be interested in,” Maeve thought aloud. “I’ll de-identify part of the sequence and show it to you, it’s a fascinating genome.” Giving one last hug, Maeve followed Irelle and Ahura’s examples and worked her way to Black Bolt and Medusa to say goodbye as well. She also wanted to make sure Maximus was taken care of, as Maeve did not want him to be alone in his grief. Medusa assured her that Maximus would stay with them for a few days in the apartments above the Quiet Room, likely in the twins’ old room that now served as a guest room.

Between Medusa and Uncle B, Maeve was not sure which of the two were more excited to become grandparents. Medusa practically remade Ahura’s old room into a nursery once again for the inevitable babysitting, while Black Bolt asked for updates about the baby frequently. His own life was so secluded, so isolated, that to Black Bolt it was a miracle he was even a father let alone a grandfather. He intended to spoil the baby rotten and never set her down. Medusa would have to fight him to hold her.

As she crossed the bridge from New Attilan into New York, Maeve was momentarily overwhelmed by the constant movement of people. She was amazed at how life just kept going, with people bustling about trying to get home from work. It felt like Papaw Agon was merely a blip in existence, even though for Maeve he was one of the most important people in her life. Papaw Agon helped her form her identity as an Inhuman, but also recognized that much of Maeve would also be shaped by humans. He tried his best not to insult or belittle her regular humanity, and if he did it was usually coming from a place of ignorance rather than malice. Through Agon she learned her family’s history, their language, customs, and encouraged her interest in genetics research. At one point Agon served as the head of the genetics research council for Attilan, so his knowledge of genetics was astounding.

Maeve smiled to herself as she recounted happy memories of Agon. He was underhandedly snarky, and sometimes Agon did not even realize what he said was funny. Maeve would miss Agon’s dry humor and smile he kept hidden behind his white beard. She would even miss the times that made her worry, such as in one of his least lucid moments where he wandered onto the subway train and could not remember how to get home. From then on, Agon always had someone with him or he wore a tracking bracelet similar to the one Maximus wore for his medication.

She stopped to pick up some milk in the deli a few blocks from home. More than likely Norm was still at church; as the lead pastor his days were longer than when Maeve was younger. Maeve was pleasantly surprised that her father was home to greet her.

“Hey dad, you’re home early today,” Maeve remarked as she put the gallon of milk in the refrigerator. “I thought you had a meeting or something with the other pastors.”

Norm shook his head and stood to give Maeve a tight hug. “Nah, I rescheduled for tomorrow so I could be home with you. Mom said we were going to visit Ahura and Irelle, if I’m not mistaken.”

“That’s the plan. Irelle is _huge_ now; it won’t surprise me if the baby is over nine pounds when she’s born.”

Verna chose that moment to come from the office down the hall. “I’m more surprised that she already has so much hair. It’s going to be wild like Pope’s when he was tiny.”

Maeve hugged her mom just as tight as she hugged Norm. Talking about the baby, about new life, felt comforting to Maeve. It helped distract her from her loss.

She changed out of her funeral clothes and into something bright and cheerful, tying her hair back into a ponytail. Verna knocked on her door after a few minutes, an aluminum pan in her hands. “Honey, would you mind helping me carry some of these pans? They’re for Ahura and Irelle so they won’t have to cook over the next few days.”

“What is it about births and funerals that demand casseroles?” Maeve grinned at her mom as she took the warm tray and followed her mom and dad out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Maeve squinted as she bent over the slide she and Max were working on- another attempt at studying the genes of an Inhuman fresh from Terrigenesis, trying to discern what particular gene sequence had led to the gift of a turning their own flesh into a reflective substance at will. The more markers they could identify, and compare to those who had similar abilities, looking for common gene sequences among those with similar Inhuman powers, the more chance that someday, the results of Terrigenesis would be far easier to predict. It was a project that Agon had begun, alongside them, several years ago, while he had still been lucid. All those who donated their DNA to this testing did so anonymously, and none knew that Max 'The Mad' as many Inhumans still called him, was involved. The harsh name always made Maeve grit her teeth when she heard it; as if it was Max's fault he had a mental health issue! Schizophrenia was something a person was born with, and the so-called 'advanced' Inhumans should be well aware of that!

But, as no-one outside the royal family, with the exceptions of Vinatos, Frank, Irelle and Treste, Reader and his family, and Iso, the ruler of New Attilan, knew that Maeve was actually Maximus' daughter, they never thought twice about speaking badly of him in front of her.

She glanced over at him, as he retrieved another slide to be compared with this one. He had stopped dead where he stood, clutching his medicine bracelet in one hand, staring at empty space in front of him. Having seen this before, Maeve quickly went to his side, putting her hand on his, and speaking calmly. “Max. What is it?”

He blinked, half turning towards her, then looking back at the open space before him. He narrowed his eyes, then he exhaled deeply and his shoulders slumped. “The dragonflies... You can't see them... there's nothing there.”

Maeve nodded, her expression sympathetic. “It's just you and me here in the lab, Max.” She'd seen this many times over the years- Max's medication kept him stable, but a side effect they had never managed to negate was that his eyes played tricks on him occasionally, and he believed he saw things that weren't there. Maeve had learned, from Ahura, that before the medication, these hallucinations had led to paranoia, caused delusions about the people around him, and made Max violent. Now, they seemed simply vivid, colorful daydreams. When she'd been younger, she'd used to draw pictures of the pretty things Max saw, and given them to him. _I wonder what happened to those drawings?_  Had Max kept them all? She squeezed his hand, grounding him in what was real. “No bugs. Just us.”

Max let out a sigh, then smiled tiredly. “Sorry about that. I'm back.”

“I've told you, don't apologize. It's not your fault. Your mind just works differently to most people's. It's nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Maybe not that, but some things...” Max looked at her, and away again.

He didn't continue, and Maeve frowned slightly. She was well aware that, many years ago, Max had been considered a criminal among Inhumans and humans alike, (though no-one would ever give her details) but she always chalked that up to his illness, and privately thought that most of the trouble, whatever it was, could've been avoided if he'd simply been diagnosed and treated sooner. She hated hearing him blame _himself_  for anything- he couldn't exactly have self-diagnosed Schizophrenia, could he?

Making an impetuous decision, Maeve stepped away from Max, and returned all their research and the slides showing the gene sequences into storage. “Enough work. It's Saturday, we're in the middle of New Attilan, it's a bright warm day, and we can find something better to do than stay shut up in a lab all day. Come on, we're going for a walk.” She took Max's arm and led him from the lab, not giving him a chance to protest.

He was smiling sadly, his eyes glistening, as they made their way to the building's doors. “You.... you sound like your mother- Mara, I mean, not Verna. She always used to insist I not spend all my time working, wanting me to get out and about.”

Maeve was suddenly paying very close attention: Max almost never talked about her birth mother, Mara, voluntarily. Hearing that she was like her... it warmed her heart. “Really?”

Max nodded nostalgically. “Mm-hmm. Did I ever tell you she spent her summers as a child on a farm in England? She loved the outdoors, even if it was pouring with rain.”

Maeve smiled, part of her wistfully wishing that she could have shared that with Mara, God rest her soul. Obviously, she loved her parents more than anything, but hearing things like this, from Max... she wondered what she might be missing, not knowing her birth mother. And she, secretly, always felt bad that her birth had been the reason Mara died. _She_  had taken Mara away from Max. She'd never told anyone this, because what good would it do? It was true, she knew it, and it couldn't be changed.

Shaking her head to clear it, she managed a smile at Max as they ambled down the street, pointedly ignoring everyone who stared or whispered about them. “Maybe, someday, you and I can go and visit her old home?”

“Perhaps.” Max looked pensive. “I'm not sure that Black Bolt would let me travel that far, though.”

“Pfft.” Maeve scoffed. “He will if I ask.” That was one thing she was sure of- her uncle had rarely denied her anything.

Pounding hoof-beats from behind them, growing louder, made first Max, then Maeve, pause and turn. Gorgon- as huge as ever, though with his dark hair and mane now shot through with silver, as was the fur on his legs, caught up with them, looking both joyful and stressed. Giving Max one disdainful look, then blanking him completely, he turned to Maeve. “Everyone's been trying to contact you! Maeve, girl, why isn't your human communication device switched on?”

“My phone?” She fished it out of her pocket, shrugging. “I turned it off in the lab, guess I just forgot to turn it back on.” She did so- and was immediately swamped with text messages. She read the first one, and her eyes widened, face splitting into a huge grin. “Oh my gosh!” She nearly squealed. “Irelle's gone into labor! Ahura brought her to Vinatos about an hour ago. Everyone's there. Come on, come on!” She grabbed Max's hand, dragging him with her as she ran for the palace where Vinatos still served as a healer- but only for the royal family these days, as he was considered too old now for general medicine.

Max, however, hesitated. “OnaMae, they won't want me there...”

Gorgon huffed, nodding in agreement. Maeve scowled at him. “Don't be silly, Max. All the family should be there when the baby's born. Come on!” She resumed her almost-running walk, pulling Max with her, wanting to get there as soon as possible- she didn't want to miss the baby's birth!

“I'm amazed you think anyone'd trust him near a heavily pregnant woman, after what happened to the last one he was near.” Gorgon grumbled under his breath as he stomped after them.

Maeve felt Max flinch at that, and resisted the urge to 'accidentally' trip Gorgon up. What did he mean, anyway? When had Max ever been near a woman in the late stage of pregnancy? Except... had Gorgon meant her own birth? But Gorgon's words, _blaming_  Max for what happened to Mara, were too cruel. She knew he disliked Max because of his past, but comments like that went too far. She'd be telling Uncle B about this, for sure.

Her phone buzzed again with a text, and she nearly dropped it in her haste to read the message. “Vinatos is going to surgically remove the baby, it's too big. Come on come on come on! We have to get there now or we'll miss it!”

And, running now in her desperation not to miss the birth of the new baby, all thoughts of Gorgon's bitter words were put right out of her mind. She couldn't wait to meet her new baby niece-cousin!

 


	3. Chapter 3

Ahura strolled through the infirmary doors with a huge smile on his face, his surgical mask pulled down to his chin. Vinatos allowed him to be in the operating room with Irelle when he and the midwives removed the baby, and Ahura was yet to change back into his regular clothes. Before the doors even closed behind him, his family crowded in close.

“ _She’s here,_ ” he beamed, momentarily shocked when Black Bolt yanked him into a tight hug. Black Bolt pulled back and looked at Ahura intensely for a moment, as if he could not believe the man of front of him was the same angry, moody little boy from forty years ago. “ _Mom and baby are doing great. Vinatos and the midwives are finishing up now._ ”

Frank McGee looked like he wanted to push past Ahura to go see his adoptive daughter, but he stayed put. “When can we see them?”

Ahura did not notice Frank spoke, so Daryn tapped him on the shoulder and interpreted what was said. “ _Oh, in an hour or so if Irelle is up to it. Vinatos wants her to rest for a bit before she has any visitors. I can show you pictures though._ ” He reached into his back pocket for his phone, pulling open the photos he took just a few minutes ago. The first showed the baby, still covered in gunk, apparently screeching from her abrupt entry into the world. Ahura flipped through the photos until he found the most recent, showing the baby clean and swaddled in blankets and staring intently at the phone in her face. Rather than dark blue eyes, the baby’s were a honey gold like her mother’s.

Everyone passed the phone around, remarking on the baby’s beauty. The most frequent comment was related to her thick, jet-black halo of hair that could only come from the Boltagon line. Ahura was also able to give her stats: 9 pounds, 10 ounces, and 22 inches long, born at 1:41 in the afternoon. To the frustration of everyone, he avoided giving them her name.

He disappeared back into the delivery rooms to check on his wife, leaving the rest of the family to relax for a few minutes. Maeve sat with Maximus once again, her excitement bubbling over until she looked at his somewhat tense face.

“Max, is everything okay?”

Maximus thumbed at his bracelet. “The last time I was here was when you were born. The day your mother died and I gave you up.”

Maybe it was the loss of Agon that prompted Maximus to be more open about Maeve’s birth and Mara’s death. She reached over his arm to squeeze his hand, massaging the tension from his knuckles. “She watches over us, remember?”

Maximus made a non-committal hum, his gaze unfocused. Although the medication stabilized him, it also caused him to remember some of the worst moments of his life with clarity he did not want. He could remember Vinatos exiting the operating room, blood covering much of his gown, with a somber look to his face. Maximus practically collapsed into a chair, refusing to accept what Vinatos told him. He did not want to believe that Mara was gone.

In almost the same breath, Vinatos informed him that the child survived. She needed constant support: her lungs were not ready for the world, nor were her eyes, her reflexes, even her skin needed consideration. But Ona lived, and now she sat next to Maximus as a young woman. If someone just met her, they would have no idea that her life nearly ended after only a few hours.

When a midwife announced that the family was allowed to visit for a few minutes, they all crowded down the hallway and into the recovery rooms to see the future queen. Medusa bit back tears at the first sight of her oldest baby with a baby of his own, watching him sway with the chunky bundle in his arms. She and Black Bolt were the first to see her up close, simply looking into her round face for a few minutes. Neither had the words to express how they felt. 

“ _We named her Taina,_ ” Ahura finally told them. “ _Grandfather called her ‘taneta’ when we showed him the first scan of her._ ”

The word in Tilan meant ‘beautiful’ or ‘precious,’ depending on its use and context. It was also the same root word as the name of Ahura’s great-grandmother, Agon’s mother, Tanith. When used as a name, Taina meant ‘precious gift.’

“Ahura wanted to name her something he could say easily,” Irelle said, her voice full of drugged whimsy. Frank McGee idly stroked the top of Irelle’s head, so proud of her in that moment. 

“Tae,” grunted Ahura. The noise appeared to wake the baby, who barely opened her eyes and squinted at whatever was in her field of vision. It would be a few weeks before the gold coloring of her eyes became clear, but even in the dim light it was easy to see that they would be a bright honey color.

Medusa reached for her first, claiming that there was a hierarchy in which grandmothers had first rights to holding newborns. It had been nearly 30 years since she last held any of her children as infants, but holding Taina felt just as natural. “Hello, my sweet girl. Look at how perfect you are,” she rambled, settling into a swaying motion. Compared to her own children, Taina was far heavier (the twins only had so much room to grow). Her little squeaks and grunts made Medusa absolutely melt.

Frank held her next, tense at first as if afraid that any movement would break the baby. He relaxed when Irelle adjusted him a bit so they were both comfortable, whereupon he settled back into the visitor’s chair with a look of content on his face. His ex-wife wanted children, at least she did until the terrigen cloud forced Frank through terrigenesis. After that, his ex would barely even look at him. But here he was, with a grandbaby snoozing in the crook of his elbow, ex-wife be damned.

When Black Bolt’s turn came, he brought the baby up to his shoulder and nuzzled her downy hair. The tears came when he realized that two weeks ago he held his father’s hand for the last time, and now he was holding his grandchild for the first. Her swaddling blanket hid many of them, but Medusa knew. As she did in the past, she held her husband close to somewhat shield him from view of the others until he was able to show that his tears were from happiness.

They passed Baby Tae around so that everyone held her for at least a few minutes. As promised, Black Bolt playfully swatted at the hands of whoever tried to take her from him. When one of the twins held her, Ahura told them that they were on free babysitting duty since he did so frequently when the twins were born. By the time everyone got a chance to hold her and the baby returned to her mother to eat, Irelle was exhausted and struggling to stay awake. 

Vinatos asked Irelle if she wanted anyone to stay, but Medusa ushered everyone out regardless. Frank hesitated until Medusa assured him that Irelle was in good hands with the midwives and various healers that would check on her. Irelle would only spend one more day in the infirmary, and part of Irelle wanted to bar any more visitors until they were released so she could spend a few quiet hours with her husband and her daughter. As the first grandchild and now second in line to the throne of New Attilan, Inhumans and family members would want to come visit Baby Tae over the next few weeks so this would likely be the only peaceful moments they had with her for a while. There were ceremonies to attend, at some point she would need to be presented to the Genetic Council as a suitable heir, her name etched into the lineage of the Grand Hall’s wall...too much to do for Irelle to even think about. 

Ahura would have to return to work at some point, and eventually so would Irelle to take over the infirmary once again, and the thought of leaving her baby with another caregiver already gave Irelle anxiety. She couldn’t bring Baby Tae to the infirmary, but maybe she could go to the office with Ahura. If that happened, they would have to buy human bottles and the nursing contraption so the baby would have milk throughout the day. All of it was overwhelming, and when Ahura noticed Irelle grow anxious, he nudged everyone out.

Maeve checked the time, primarily to make sure she still had time with Maximus. The day was meant to be focused on him, but the birth of a royal family member was not something either of them could ignore. They still had some time left in their day, thankfully. Maximus was quiet, deep in self-reflection.

“What are you thinking about, Max?”

“Good things, OnaMae. It’s good to see Ahura finally happy after so much mistreatment in his youth.”

“Mom said he’d never been particularly cheerful until he and Irelle found their own place together,” she chuckled. “What made him so unhappy all the time?”

Maximus stopped at a marble flower pot and thumbed the bright pink petals of a flower Maeve could not identify. “Lack of stability, I assume. It wasn’t until after you were born that he lived in one place, or with one caregiver, for more than a few years at a time. Half of his life until then was spent with your parents, a smaller fraction with my brother, and the remainder under sedation or isolation.”

She knew that Ahura’s life was unstable, but his was new information to Maeve. “Sedation?”

“Yes, it was a decision of the Genetic Council to sedate him for fear of Ahura using any gift he could not control. It did nothing but make him angry and delayed for quite some time.”

Maeve hummed a response, somewhat distracted. She tried to ignore the stares of older Inhumans that passed by. Maeve knew that Maximus was not favored by many due to some of his behaviors as a young adult, so their stares were understandable. During that time he was unmedicated, however, and could not totally control himself. For the past twenty years, with constant medication and supervision, the worst that Maximus ever did was disagree with someone. Once he refused to attend a ceremony of some kind, the absolute madman.

“Max, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, my dear.”

“Does it ever bother you that I don’t go by Ona?”

Maximus immediately shook his head. “Not anymore, no. Mara never told me what she wanted to name you so at first I thought it was from the humans. Knowing that Maeve was originally Mara’s idea makes me happy. Apparently it was the name of her relative, but I can’t recall which.”

“What was she like?”

Maximus grinned and looked upwards in thought, thinking about some of his fondest memories. There weren’t many, they only knew each other for about two years when she passed, but they were some of his favorites. 

“She was an independent person, independent and stubborn. I used to tell her that her geokinesis gift was fitting since she was hardheaded as a stone.”

Maeve giggled at the thought, trying to imagine a younger Maximus talking with the woman pictured in some of Maeve’s photos. “Am I like her in any way?”

“You have her goodness,” Maximus eventually said after searching further through her memories. “She never liked the decorum or posturing that came with the monarchy of New Attilan, just like you don’t.”

“Sometimes its a bit much, that’s true.”

“We’ve become more humble as the decades passed, I’ll have you know,” Maximus grinned, gently nudging Maeve with his shoulder. “Before you were born, even before Ahura and the twins were born, we were much worse. Mara saw through all of it.”

They continued their walk through the main courtyard towards the research labs, many of which were underground to protect the privacy of the research. Although Maeve’s broad area of focus was genetics, her specialization was in the heritability of psychiatric disorders. Specifically, she wanted to know why her biological father was the only one with a genetic psychiatric disorder. Ahura’s psychological issues growing up were from trauma and instability, not biological, so their different pathologies were a prime example of ‘nature versus nurture.’

They returned to the labs just as Maeve’s phone chirped with an incoming call. On the other end, Norm fumbled with the phone. Since he had very limited remaining vision, sometimes he was not sure if he held his phone correctly or not.

“Dad?”

“Hey, hunny, everything going okay? How’s the baby?”

“Absolutely adorable, she’s got cheeks for days. I sent mom a few pictures, she can describe her to you.”

Norm laughed into the phone at her comment, trying to picture the baby in his mind. “I’ll just have to meet her, then I can get a good look at her. You still with Max?”

“Yup, still with Max. Say hi, Max.”

Maximus grunted a quick hello, his face still glued to the eyepiece of a microscope. Maeve stuck her tongue out at him briefly, grinning. 

Norm said hello as well. “Is he still coming for dinner next week?” 

Maeve held the phone to her shoulder and repeated the question, causing Maximus to look up and blink as if it were unexpected. They invited him about every other week or so for dinner to the point that it became a fairly regular event but each time Maximus responded with surprise. “If they’ll have me.”

“Of course we will, we look forward to it. Well, I’ll let you go so you can get back to whatever it is you were working on.”

Maeve adjusted the eyepiece on her own microscope, but did not bend to look into it quite yet. “Chromosomal mapping and visual phasing, Dad.”

“Whatever that is,” Norm laughed. “Have fun, don’t stay out too late, please.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Maeve groaned dramatically. Even though she was in her late twenties and approaching Inhuman young adulthood, Norm and Verna still somewhat babied her. “See you in a bit, love you.”


	4. Chapter 4

Maeve was smiling to herself as she entered the latest results of Tae's length and weight into the official records of each generation of the Royal Family. She was filling in for Irelle, until her maternity leave ended, just over five months from now, but she was restricted to inputting data and results, under Vinatos' watchful eye, while he did the practical work, and grumbled all the time about not being able to retire completely.

Reader's son, Gerry, had volunteered to help as well, though Maeve wasn't sure why. His photographic memory did save her a lot of looking things up, though she'd prefer it if he didn't keep finding excuses to interrupt her or get her attention- he was being annoying more often than not. Sighing as she felt his gaze on her again, she deliberately kept her back turned, quickly checking to see if anything else needed to be added to the records today. Nothing did, but as she was about to close the holographic document down, she caught a glimpse of the name 'Mara', and froze. Her birth mother, who died bringing her into the world. No-one ever spoke of her death to Maeve, so she had no idea of what exactly had gone wrong. Right now, she had access to all the medical files... She hesitated, then clicked to access the files Vinatos (and Irelle) had on Mara.

An image of Mara was the first thing to appear, and Maeve leaned closer, seeing her own brown eyes staring back at her from Mara's face. She leaned closer, hand half reaching to almost brush the image of her birth mother's face, squinting to see any resemblance to herself.

“What are you doing?” Gerry's (loud) voice made her jump and she whirled round to shush him, but too late- Vinatos had heard, and came striding over. Taking one look at the file Maeve had accessed, he waved his hand to close it down, then typed rapidly. Maeve, annoyed, tried to call it back up, only to find that Vinatos had revoked her access to that particular file.

Maeve turned and gaped at him. “What did you do that for?! I wasn't doing any harm by looking at her file!”

Vinatos looked down his nose at her. “The king and queen officially sealed that record years ago. Only the chief healer is allowed to access it. It shouldn't have been accessible to you to begin with, and you have no business looking at it.”

Maeve clenched her fists. “No business looking at it? It's part of my life story!”

Vinatos sniffed. “Indeed. And if and when the king and queen inform me that you are permitted to access this information, I will gladly share it with you. Though you may not like what you discover.” He turned and strode away, clearly considering the matter closed.

Maeve huffed in frustration. She was twenty six, not six. Why did Vinatos, and apparently Aunt Medusa and Uncle B, want her not to find out anything about her own birth? It wasn't like she didn't already know that Mara had died in childbirth, because of her, so why conceal the details? She glowered after Vinatos as he swept from the room, her nails digging into her fists. This wasn't fair! OK, yeah, she _could_  ask her aunt and uncle for permission to see the file, but if they hadn't told her anything in over twenty years, why would they now? Maeve frowned. _I could ask Mom and Dad... but even if they know the whole story, it might upset them to have me ask about it..._  For that same reason, she couldn't ask Max either.

Gerry, who had watched her exchange with Vinatos like it was a tennis match, was now peering at her, looking nervous and twisting his hands. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. Then again.

Despite her irritation, Maeve couldn't help but grin. “What is it?”

Gerry flushed when she spoke to him directly. “W-what?”

“Well, either you're doing a shockingly good impression of a beached fish, or you want to say something, but can't find the words. So spit it out.” She let a friendly smile spread over her face, so he'd know she wasn't deliberately being mean.

His face split in an enormous grin when she smiled at him, though his cheeks went even redder, then he swallowed hard. “Look, I don't want to annoy Vinatos, but.... I might've seen the password he used to lock that file.” He inched closer to the console where Maeve stood. “If you really did want to look at it...”

Maeve's heart pounded, but she gestured him to the console without hesitating. “Please.” Her palms sweated as she realized that this was kind of wrong, but then again, she _did_  have a right to know her own past, as she'd told Vinatos, and if Gerry was willing to help her, why _shouldn't_  she look? Still, she averted her eyes as Gerry keyed in Vinatos' password: she wanted to read Mara's file, not pry into every single piece of confidential information that Vinatos had access to.

Mara's image appeared again, and Maeve allowed herself a sad smile as she swiped the image away, moving on to any and all medical data on her. Keeping one eye on the doorway, in case Vinatos came back in, she quickly scanned the file. Most of the information related to Mara's genetic code, and the gifts she gained from Terrigenesis. Maeve frowned at the dates she could see. Nobody seemed to have taken much interest in Mara until her pregnancy became known- everything she was reading related to that.

“Well, I wanted to know how my story began...” Maeve murmured as she read through the entries relating to the development of the foetus- her. She blinked rapidly though, as just what she was reading sank in. She'd always assumed, given her premature birth and Mara's death, that the pregnancy had been difficult or had suffered complications, but according to this, Mara hadn't had any problems at all while carrying her. This didn't make sense, and Maeve furrowed her brow. “Just what am I missing here?” She muttered aloud. “If nothing went wrong during her pregnancy with me, why did she die?”

Gerry (whose presence she'd nearly forgotten) jumped slightly, making her start. His expression now looked troubled, like he'd just remembered something unpleasant. “Look, Maeve, maybe this was a bad idea. Vinatos did say you wouldn't like what you learned...”

“You should've thought of that before you showed me this.” Maeve retorted, clicking on to the final report on Mara- the record made the day she was born. She nearly held her breath, her heart pounding, as she began to read. She was dreading what she would see, but couldn't stop now- she needed to know.

The report began as a transcript of an emergency call from the Quiet Room, from Aunt Medusa. Maeve's eyes widened as they scanned the text, certain words and phrases seeming to leap out at her.

**'Maximus' lucidity has decreased. He has become physically aggressive. Mara is unconscious, from being shoved or punched, injured in the fall.'**

**'Blunt force trauma caused spontaneous labor.'**

**'Placental abruption from the fall. Baby in distress.'**

**'Infant delivered alive. Intensive care required, prognosis unclear.'**

**'Fatal haemorrhaging resulting from Mara's injuries. Internal damage irreparable. Time of death: 14:37.'**

Maeve sucked in a shuddering breath, feeling tears roll silently down her face. She was only vaguely aware that she was trembling. “Max... he did it.” It came out in a strangled whisper.

Gerry shut the file down quickly, and put a hand on her shoulder. She barely noticed. “Maeve-”

“All this time, all these years, I thought it was _my_  fault Mara died, giving birth to me.” Maeve felt like her words were coming from far away, echoing. “And, all along... Maximus did it. He knew it, and he lied, _pretending_  he cared about me!” Her hands were trembling violently, and she felt sick with anger and grief, all mixed up. “It's _his_  fault Mara died. He really is mad!” Bile rose in her throat. “And everyone knows. Mom, Dad, Uncle B and Aunt Medusa, Ahura... they all knew and they all lied. They _let_  him near me anyway, when he killed my birth mother, and nearly killed me, before I was born!”

Unable to bring herself to stay there any longer, she just took off running, ignoring Gerry's yelling after her, not caring when she nearly plowed down Vinatos, thinking of nothing but getting far enough away that she wouldn't have to deal with this right now. _I hate Max. I hate all of them! I never want to see them again!_

 


	5. Chapter 5

“There’s my sweet girl,” Medusa cooed at the baby before Irelle even had her out of the sling. She used a lock of hair to undo the knot at Irelle’s shoulder and another lock to free the baby from the wrap. “Are you going to spend the day with grandma? Yes, you are. Look how big you’re getting, my love.”

She wandered back into the apartment, chattering at the baby the entire time. Tae stared at her intently, not understanding a word but enjoying the interaction anyway based on the tiny squeaks and chirps she made. Ever since her vision cleared, Ahura loved watching her discover nearby objects or movements. He could see over Medusa’s shoulder that Tae was fascinated with grandma’s hair. 

Irelle and Ahura dropped onto the couch together, Irelle laying her head on Ahura’s shoulder. The past few weeks’ worth of varied sleep schedules left them both exhausted, and more than once Ahura went to the office with less than four hours of rest. They tried to sleep whenever the baby slept, but her rapid growth meant frequent feedings and growing pains that needed soothing. Medusa recognized the first-time-parent exhaustion in them and was prepared to snuggle her grandbaby all day so Ahura and Irelle could rest for at least a little while.

Black Bolt came up from his office as soon as Ahura texted their arrival. Work could wait, the bar was in good hands for the day, and he wanted to maximize his time with his granddaughter. Agon was right when he said that being a grandparent was a different feeling than a parent, and Black Bolt already loved every moment of it. At the rate Inhuman babies grew, Tae would not be a baby for very long.

Medusa maneuvered the baby into a sitting position, Ahura waving at her with a tired grin on his face. “Hi, baby,” he grunted. “ _She’s working on smiling, I almost got her to smile a few days ago. But she gets distracted by her hands whenever she sees them._ ”

“Are you a happy little girl? Did daddy make you smile?” It still felt strange to think of Ahura as a father, especially when Medusa could remember Ahura’s birth as if it were yesterday. She blinked and fifty years of her son’s life flew by. “I bet grandpa can get you to smile.”

Black Bolt plucked the baby from Medusa’s lap and brought her up to his chest, kissing her cheeks with loud smooching sounds. Tae chirped back at him mostly as a reflex, squeaking at the new noises and kicking her feet. Most of her movements were involuntary but in the coming weeks she would gain more control over her limbs and show more deliberate movement. 

Irelle yawned into the back of her hand. “She needs a bath tonight; we’ve discovered that she does _not_ enjoy bath time and has no problems telling us so.” 

Black Bolt ran his large palm over the baby’s scalp, causing the thick patches of downy soft hair to stand on end. Tae’s hair was already long enough that it could be combed over to the side or brushed back. Ahura’s hair was also fairly thick when he was born, but the twins were total opposites to their older brother. Black Bolt worried that Anora’s hair would never grow in, and it wasn’t until they were a few months old that she started growing a tiny red mullet. Daryn at least had enough that they could see his hairline. 

“Grandpa and I can give her a bath,” Medusa suggested, speaking and signing at the same time. “Why don’t you two rest for a bit? We can wake you when it’s time to nurse.”

Ahura immediately nodded, grateful for the opportunity for a short rest. Only Randac knew when he was last able to sleep without worrying when the light connected to the baby monitor would flash and wake him up. Their apartment was rigged with lights that flashed various patterns alerting him to the cause, such as two flashes for someone at the door, rapid flashes for the smoke detector, or three long flashes for the baby monitor. They dragged themselves into the guest room (the twins’ old room) and closed the door, settling into bed quickly and falling asleep within moments.

Medusa and Black Bolt snuggled together on the couch with Taina on his lap, fascinated with everything about her. They wondered what gift her genetics held in store, if she would have the premonition of her mother or the apparitions of her father. It was not uncommon for Inhuman children to have powers unrelated to those of their parents, so Tae could receive something none of them expected. 

“I think she has more hair than Ahura did,” Medusa said after a few moments of running her fingers through the baby’s hair. “More than Daryn and Anora, certainly.”

“ _Maybe she will be able to control it, like you can._ ”

Medusa smiled at the thought, kissing Tae’s tiny knuckles. “What do you think, Taina? Will you be able to control your hair like grandma?”

The baby squeaked at them both, cooing and stretching out of her blanket. Medusa could see glimpses of Ahura’s baby face in Taina, especially when she scrunched her eyebrows in concentration. Every few minutes she stretched a limb or wiggled until she found something new to see, popping her head up like a small turtle and dropping it back down a few seconds later. 

“Do you remember when Anora and Daryn were this small, how they’d practically tangle themselves together when they slept?”

“ _I remember we tried to separate them and it’d always wake one of them up. Looking back on it, I wonder if Daryn did that as some kind of comfort behavior when his stomach bothered him._ ”

Medusa considered the idea; Daryn’s painful acid reflux flares could only be soothed by laying him a particular way or if someone held him for hours on end. When he and Anora somehow maneuvered themselves together when they slept, Daryn’s stomach did not appear to bother him as much. It was only after they became too big to share a bassinet that the flares bothered him more frequently. 

“Tae, are you going to be grandma’s snuggle bug like your Uncle D? Hmm? Can grandma cuddle you all day, my darling?” The baby flailed her hands and cooed in response, working the edge of Black Bolt’s sleeve up to her mouth to gum until it was soggy. “Oh, grandpa, she’s making a mess out of your sleeve.”

Black Bolt twisted to see the edge of his sleeve, using part of the blanket to wipe at the glob of milky spit dotting the fabric as well as the baby’s chin. Medusa used a lock of hair to bring over the day bag Irelle brought and pulled out a burp rag to place on Black Bolt’s shoulder. If he went back down to the bar, she did not want him to go with spit-up on his clothing, even though he did so plenty of times when the twins were born. 

They cuddled on the couch for a little while longer until the baby appeared bored and wanted to look around the room rather than at Medusa or Black Bolt. Medusa spread the quilt from the crib onto the floor and lay the baby on her stomach for some tummy time, giggling at the baby girl’s fierce concentration. One of her toys sat directly in front of her within reach, but holding her wobbly head up and reaching for the toy appeared to be beyond her coordination capabilities. She tried squeaking at it, then looking to Black Bolt for help, and finally turned her attention to her hands when she noticed them.

As the baby wriggled around on her blanket, Black Bolt stretched out on the floor with her, Medusa tidied up the kitchen sink for the baby’s bath later in the evening. As she did so, she received a message from Vinatos that he wished to speak with her.

Medusa contacted the infirmary, idly wiping crumbs from the counter as she did so.

“My Lady, please accept my apologies for contacting you so late in the evening,” Vinatos croaked from the other end of the line. The older Inhuman was not much younger than Agon, likely in his later 150s or early 160s. He was just an apprentice the day Black Bolt was born, even.

“Is there a problem, Vinatos?”

“I am honestly uncertain. Potentially,” Vinatos mused. “The girl, Maeve, saw the data entires I made of her birth.”

Medusa stopped wiping down the counter, frozen mid-swipe. “Those files were meant to be sealed.”

“They were, my Lady. I believe Reader’s son memorized my access code and unlocked the file for her. That boy is just as incorrigible as his father, you know, I should never have allowed him-“

“Vinatos, where is Maeve now?” 

Vinatos stopped himself to gather his thoughts, a frequent occurrence as he aged since his ability to keep himself on track waned. “Oh, I am unsure, your highness. I’ve not contacted her parents yet.”

“I’ll contact them,” Medusa sighed. “And place a higher security protocol on those files. Only myself or Black Bolt shall have access.”

“At once, my Lady.” 

Medusa did not wait for Vinatos to continue rambling. She ended the call and sauntered back into the living room to tell Black Bolt that their visit might have to be cut short.  
—-  
“ _Salaam aleikum, akhi. Kaif hakum?_ ”

An older man stood from his place on a stool, stopping when Gerald motioned for him to sit back down. “ _Wa aleikum salaam, Gerry. Kaif halak?_ ”

“ _Alhamdulilah_ , Amir.”

“ _Alhamdulilah. Men hatha? Hauwja?_ ”

Gerry’s face turned beet-red at the last word, causing Maeve to furrow her eyebrows with suspicion.

“ _Ley, ley. Sadiqti._ ”

“ _Inshallah,_ my brother,” said Amir, switching to broken English for Maeve’s benefit. “You want table?”

Gerry nodded and gestured for Maeve to follow Amir, keeping a distance between himself and Maeve. They sat at a tiny cafe table in the back of what appeared to be an old cafeteria, with hardly any room to walk. A large partition had been built, obviously not part of the original structure.

“ _Shai,_ Gerry?”

“ _Kahua, ma’a sakar, shukran._ ”

The older gentleman scuttled off, shuffling his feet. The way he walked reminded Maeve of Agon, at least when Agon could still shuffle around on his own. As soon as the older man was out of sight, Maeve whispered to Gerry in a clipped tone.

“What was so embarrassing?”

“Hmm? Oh, he asked if you were my wife.” 

Maeve’s face registered displeasure, obviously not happy with being spoken about without her understanding. Gerry waved his hand at her apparent disapproval. 

“Don’t worry, he asks that about every girl I bring here.” The moment hung in the air until Gerry realized what he just said, then stumbled over his words trying to backtrack. “I mean, its not like I bring a lot of girls here or anything, usually I come here alone and half the time when I do he tries to introduce me to one of his granddaughters and-“

“Why are we here, Ger?”

Gerry paused mid-sentence and almost resumed speaking until Amir hobbled over once again with a thick plastic carafe and two small cups. “You need anything, Gerry? Me and my wife go to the salaat soon. Asr.”

Gerry shook his head. “ _Ley, shukran._ ”

Amir nodded and wandered off again behind the partition. Gerry poured a light colored coffee into the small cups and passed one to Maeve, then pulled his own cup towards himself. “You were upset, and I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“I’m fine,” Maeve snapped back at him, ignoring the tiny coffee cup. “Why wouldn’t I be fine? I mean, everyone has pretty much lied to me about my mom since the day I was born, why wouldn’t I be fine?”

Gerry sipped at his coffee cup, then downed the entire thing in one gulp like a shot of alcohol. “Man, Amir makes this almost too sweet sometimes.” He poured a second cup, but let it sit. “You know, I used to be mad at everybody about my parents also. I thought everyone was lying to me about them.”

Maeve crossed her feet beneath the chair and continued glaring at him.

“My mom’s skin wasn’t always purple. And my dad used to have eyes, when he was about our age. No, wait, he would’ve been younger. Anyway, no one told me about either of those things, so when I saw pictures of them when they were young I got really mad. Mom and dad just kind of assumed that I knew—I mean, not many people are born with purple skin. And with the amount of scaring around dad’s eye sockets, it’s a bit obvious, I guess—“

“Seriously, Ger, what’s the point?”

“Okay, okay. The point is, I never knew my mom when she had regular skin, and I never knew my dad when he still had his eyes. The only parents I’ve ever known are the ones I have now, the way they are now. No one lied to me, they just didn’t see a reason to tell me since I’d never know my dad as anything other than an old blind fart and my mom as a purple fairy.”

The unexpected insult caused Maeve to crack a smile. Reader and Rila certainly did not look old, but Gerry’s rambled jab at them was funny. 

“I know that you know what it’s like to have a blind dad. Ahura doesn’t know how to keep his hands shut, you know. Unless he’s on a business call or something, all he does is yak all day.”

The continued insults caused Maeve to soften her face somewhat, enjoying the teasing. It certainly made it difficult to continue staying angry at the world.

She let out a long sigh and finally sipped at her lukewarm coffee, grimacing. “You’re right, this is way too sweet.” 

“Told ya, Amir doesn’t know how to make it without also giving you diabetes.” He sipped at his own cup, then pushed the carafe aside. “Look, I know all that about my mom and dad can’t ever equate to what you’re going through. I guess...what I meant to say was, I don’t want you to stay mad at everyone, and ignore the people that want to help. Because I care about you and I wanna help.”

When Gerry grinned, Maeve tried to hide her blush. She really did like Gerry, even though his tangents annoyed her at times. It almost seemed as if he knew too many languages, and they were all jumbled about inside his head, so speaking tangentially was his brain’s way of working out all the knots. 

An electronic speaker somewhere in the little cafe started blaring what sounded like a song, startling Maeve. Gerry listened to the tune, idly humming along to it. “Listen, Maeve, please don’t stay mad at your parents, okay? They probably didn’t know about Maximus, not fully.”

“How do you know?”

“Like I said, all Ahura does at the office is chatter all day. I’ve picked up things about you here and there.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

Gerry counted on his fingertips. “You like strawberries as long as there’s a bucket of whipped cream on them, your mom’s favorite thing about you is your hair because it’s so similar to hers, your dad’s visual field is about the size of the hole in a straw, you think the whole Inhuman monarchy thing is stupid-“

Maeve dramatically sighed at him. “You know, Gerry, that almost seems like you’ve been stalking me.”

“I can’t help it! I mean, have you met you? You’re interesting. And I don’t really forget things so even if I didn’t want to learn stuff about you, I wouldn’t have much of a choice.”

He finished the last of his cup, shaking the carafe to see if anything remained. Since there was hardly enough to fill an entire cup, Gerry fished his wallet from his back pocket and dropped a few bills on the table rather than interrupt Amir’s prayer time. 

“Wanna go to the park? Or we could go see a movie or something, whichever you want to do.”

Maeve slowly shook her head. “Honestly, Gerry, I’m kind of tired now. I think I’ll head home.”

“Aw, okay then,” Gerry whined with an exaggerated pout. “Um, do you care if I give you my phone number? If you need someone else to talk to, I mean. Sometimes I want to talk to somebody other than my parents and it’s not like my dad can read texts if the phone isn’t plugged into his little keyboard and—oh, thank you.”

Maeve had her number scrawled out and shoved into Gerry’s palm before he even finished his little spiel. He tucked it in his shirt pocket and pat it twice, then held out his hand for Maeve to use while standing. She took it, trying to ignore the strength in Gerry’s hand carved from years of interpreting for Ahura. Even though Gerry and Maeve were still adolescents by Inhuman standards, they were legally adults according to the United States government: as soon as Gerry hit 18, he went to work for Ahura on a part-time basis until Ahura rose high enough in Ennilux to make international business deals. After that, Gerry slowly replaced his mom, who returned to doing freelance work around New York City. A bill passed by the New York legislature about five years ago made Inhuman and other “enhanced” individuals a protected class, so interpreting agencies could no longer fire Rila for her appearance.

“Wait, let me text you so you have my number,” Gerry rushed, before Maeve tucked her phone in her bag. The phone dinged a moment later, with a text that merely said “Gerry” as the body of the message. “You don’t have to text me back if you don’t want to, I won’t bug you or anything.”

Maeve smiled at him and briefly touched his elbow. “I’ll talk to you later, Ger.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation of Gerry and Amir's conversation:
> 
> G-Peace to you, my brother. How are you all?
> 
> A-Peace to you as well, Gerry. How are you doing?
> 
> G-Well by the grace of Allah, Amir.
> 
> A-Praise be to Allah [for your well-being]. Who is this? Your wife?
> 
> G-No, no. A friend.
> 
> A-If Allah wills it [you'll marry someday]. 
> 
> (Later)
> 
> A-Tea, Gerry?
> 
> G-No, coffee with sugar, please. Thank you.


	6. Chapter 6

Verna was pushing the vacuum around the living room when she heard her phone ring. It took her a few minutes to hear the noise over the roar of the vacuum. Leaving the machine on, she went to retrieve her cell from the armchair, feeling guilty when she saw she'd missed about three calls, but before she could swipe to answer this call, the front door open, then slammed, loudly. Pounding footsteps headed towards her and Verna turned, confused, to see her daughter in the doorway, her face white, hands clenched into fists, eyes blazing with fear or anger, Verna wasn't sure. She blinked, confused, the phone forgotten. “Maeve?” Her daughter did have a temper at times, but Verna didn't recall ever seeing her look this enraged before. “What's wrong?” She took a few steps forward, phone forgotten, reaching for Maeve, who stepped back, one hand raised as if to fend her off, her eyes narrowed.

Hurt flashed through Verna and she backed up a step. Maeve's hands were shaking now, with some suppressed emotion, and it looked like tears were brimming in her eyes. She swallowed heavily before she spoke, her voice cracking. “Mom, if I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?”

Verna couldn't figure out what was going on, but nodded. “Of course, honey, Dad and I have never lied to you, you know that.”

Maeve's brown eyes scoured hers, intensely, as if she was looking for something, though Verna had no idea what. Finally, Maeve's shoulders slumped, like strength had literally been sucked from her. Her next words chilled Verna to the core.

“Did you or Dad know that Maximus was the reason Mara went into labor early, that he attacked her, and he's the reason she died?”

Verna stood like a statue. _What?_  How could that be true? Where had Maeve gotten this from? Of course, they'd been told that Maeve's birth mother had died in childbirth, but they'd assumed it was a tragedy of nature, left in God's hands, and none of their Inhuman family had _ever_  said anything to suggest otherwise, in the twenty-six years they'd had Maeve with them. “No, of course not.” She shook her head. “If anything like that had happened, that he was that dangerous, we'd never have let Maximus near you...”

Maeve let out a bitter, humorless laugh. “Well, at least I know you two didn't lie to me about it, then.” She scrubbed a tear from her face. “I was helping Vinatos log some medical data about Tae earlier, and I saw Mara's name in the family records.” Here she hesitated, and took a deep breath. “Vinatos stopped me from looking, said it was nothing to do with me.”

Verna bristled at that. The story of Maeve's birth, and information about her birth mother, was 'nothing to do with her'?

“Gerry- Reader's son- helped me get back into the file, and I found a transcript of the call made when Mara went into labor. Seems like she and Maximus had been fighting, he pushed her or something, she fell, and that's why the placenta tore away, and the damage...” Tears ran down Maeve's face now. “So she died, because _he killed her_ , he nearly killed me before I was even born, and no-one ever thought I might need to know that!” A sob punctuated her last words.

Verna felt like someone had punched her in the solar plexus, like all the air had been punched out of her. Her own hands were trembling as she put a hand on Maeve's shoulder. “Oh, honey...” She pulled her daughter closer, wrapping an arm round her protectively. “I swear to you, if Dad and I had known about this, there is no _way_  we'd have ever let Maximus near you.” Verna knew, objectively, that Maximus had been mentally unwell for a long time when Maeve had been born, so she _shouldn't_  hold him responsible for what he had done when he wasn't in his right mind, but he had recovered since then, and been relatively stable for years. To have never confessed to the truth, in all these years...

Maeve stood, tense, for a moment, before collapsing in her mother's arms, burying her face on Verna's shoulder, and giving in to her tears, letting all the hurt and pain of this betrayal out. For betrayal was what this was. Verna wouldn't think of it any other way. The Lord preached forgiveness, of course, but right now, she couldn't find any in her heart. She and Norm had, unwittingly, encouraged their little girl to foster a bond with her birth mother's murderer, whether he was Maeve's father by blood or not, she couldn't let that go, or forgive him- or herself.

As she held Maeve, trying to calm and soothe her, while her shoulders shook with sobs, she imagined what Norm would say when he found this out. It wouldn't be pretty, that was for sure...

Her phone, still in her hand, rang again. She'd almost forgotten she was holding it, in all this shock. Seeing the caller ID, Verna scowled, cutting the call off immediately. _Medusa._  Right now, she was the _last_  person Verna wanted to speak to! She, and Black Bolt, and Ahura, and Agon (God rest his soul), and the other Inhumans they now viewed as family- they all had to have known the whole story, but not one of them had ever deigned to inform her and Norm of the truth. The thought nearly sent Verna's blood boiling. Love and care for them as she did, Ahura especially, Maeve came first, even more so now she knew about this. She'd already resolved in her mind that there was no _way_  Maximus was ever getting near her baby girl, or setting foot in their house again. At least not until they got some real answers about why they had been deceived this way.

How could they ever move on from the discovery of a lie as huge as this? How could things ever go back to how they were?

 


	7. Chapter 7

Black Bolt came out of the nursery once he had it straightened up again. The baby had a short snooze in the crib, which meant finding a temporary home for the stuffed animals and toys that filled the mattress. With the twins they limited the number of toys each could have, their apartment simply did not have that much room, but in his quest to spoil Taina rotten, Black Bolt overdid it a bit. He rocked her to sleep in the gliding chair, then reluctantly laid her down and let the baby be. Black Bolt wanted to watch her sleep; she slept the same way Ahura did when he was born with her arms above her head and curled into a little half-moon. 

While the baby slept, Medusa and Black Bolt discussed what they would say to Maeve and her parents regarding Maximus. In Black Bolt’s venture to be understanding to Maximus’ mental health disparities, he rarely discussed some of the more negative behaviors. Truthfully, apart from minor disagreements the last time Maximus committed any sort of criminal act was when he took off with Maeve for a few days when the girl was still quite young.

“We should tell them the truth,” Medusa said, her legs tucked beneath her on the couch. “The Historikon has the entire history of Attilan and New Attilan, it’s not like Maximus is a secret within the device.”

“ _Her parents may never let her see him again, Randac knows what kind of state that would put him in._ ” Black Bolt sat on the far end of the couch, massaging his temples.

“Can you blame them, Blackagar? Maximus may have caused the death of her birth mother; I would not want any of our children around him if they were in the same situation.”

He mentally huffed, dropping his head backwards to look up at the ceiling. “ _We cannot prove he caused her death._ ”

Medusa shook her head as her braids twisted tighter against her scalp. The subject irked her, as there certainly was a pattern of terrible behaviors from which she could draw examples to support the claim. But, as Black Bolt constantly pointed out, those behaviors were from an untreated delusional disorder mixed with aggression and sociopathic tendencies. Once Maximus received treatment, he was fairly docile and kept to himself. Sometimes he could even be pleasant if he were up to it, and Black Bolt tried to encourage positive behaviors as much as possible. 

Before they could decide what to do, Medusa heard tiny pitiful whines and chirps from the new nursery. As soon as she stood to check on the baby, Irelle opened the guest room and shuffled out, practically dazed. Their short rest was obviously not enough.

“Okay, okay, mommy’s here,” she muttered, yawning deeply. “I know it’s dinner time.” 

Medusa barely heard Tae’s cheeps, so how Irelle heard them through a wall was beyond Medusa. They remained on the couch as Irelle brought her back out and sat herself down, a nursing blanket tossed over her shoulder. She felt awkward nursing in front of her in-laws, even in front of Frank McGee or her sister, although it was uncommon for Inhuman women to find nursing shameful. Medusa was certainly never shy about nursing any of her babies in front of others, although she could easily use her hair as a cover if necessary. 

“She never wants to stop eating,” Irelle practically whined as she maneuvered the baby and the blanket around. “I swear she eats more than I do.”

“Ahura did the same thing, he just ate all day and slept in between.” Medusa pulled an edge of the blanket away and kissed the baby’s head. “Just like her father, aren’t you, my love?”

Irelle yawned once again and pat the baby’s bottom to encourage her along. Luckily after the baby ate she was typically in a good mood so Irelle could pass her back to grandma and grandpa for a bit before they head home. “Ahura is so good with her,” she mused, smiling at Tae’s clenched hands. “Isn’t he? Daddy is your favorite person, huh?”

Tae chirped away until she was satisfied, then stretched to look around once again. Irelle brought her up to her shoulder and pat her back, angled somewhat so Medusa could talk to her. She stopped mid-sentence when someone knocked on the front door.

Black Bolt answered, stepping out of the way to reveal Norm and Verna. Both humans appeared upset, more so than any other time Medusa had known them. She’d seen them sad, tearful, and anxious, but never angry. The anger that rolled off both of them was palpable. 

“Hello, everyone,” Norm said in a clipped tone. “Can we have a few minutes to talk?”

Black Bolt waved them in, pulling out the chairs from the dining table. He really did not want to have this discussion with Ahura and his family present, so maybe they could stall until it was time for them to go. Medusa looked to Black Bolt, who mentally asked that she wake Ahura and send them home. It did not appear that Irelle picked up on the Adams’ anger, and her cheerful chatter at the baby suddenly seemed out of place.

“Look, Tae, it’s Grammy and Grampa, everyone is visiting you today,” Irelle rambled. Tae had many ‘grandparents’, including the Boltagons, Irelle and Treste’s mother Auran, Frank McGee, and the Adams. Including Norm and Verna as grandparents was Ahura’s decision, made with very little discussion. In fact, Irelle asked him once and Ahura responded with such absoluteness that Irelle never questioned it. The only issue was that they did not know what Tae would call them, since Black Bolt and Medusa were already granted the ‘Grandma’ and ‘Grandpa’ titles. 

“We will have to visit with her another time,” Verna said quietly, forcing herself to be civil.

“At least let me get a good look at her,” interjected Norm. “I didn’t even know they were here.” His vision at this point was limited to only about ten feet ahead, depending on lighting. He could see shapes and discern light from dark, but beyond that Norm could only see vague colors. When he wasn’t at the church or their apartment, he held on to Verna’s elbow to get around. Irelle brought the baby over and gently set her into the crook of his arm, allowing Norm to pull her close to his face.

“Fearfully and wonderfully made,” he whispered after a few moments of inspecting Tae’s chubby cheeks and bright golden eyes. “May the Lord bless you, and keep you, to make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, to lift up His face upon you and give you peace.”

Norm practically sang the verse as Tae squirmed at the unexpected closeness. Verna leaned over to kiss her forehead once, but otherwise did not ask to hold her. Maybe some other time, when she had better control of her emotions.

Ahura exited the guest room buttoning his shirt, surprised to see Norm and Verna. His face lit up and after giving Irelle a quick kiss he sat across the table to watch them interact with the baby.

“ _Is she being good?_ ”

Anything Ahura signed, Verna interpreted for Norm. For a while Norm could somewhat track Ahura’s hands if Norm held on to his wrist but he could no longer do so with his lack of vision. “ _Of course,_ ” replied Verna. “ _She’s a good girl. She’s very talkative._ ”

Ahura briefly scrunched his nose. He understood what she meant, but unless he was holding the baby he had no idea if she was being vocal or not. Sometimes he could feel her little body vibrate when she was excited or angry, and that was as far as his understanding of “talkative” went. 

The baby could hear, her parents knew she could before she was even born, but for a few days Ahura was somewhat upset about the fact. Yet again, he was the only deaf Inhuman. He stayed late at the office for the next few days until he could work through how he felt. It was one of the few times they argued about anything that wasn’t a misunderstanding. Ahura had no way of explaining how it felt to be so isolated, one of an already tiny number of people, with only a few more who could communicate with him. Black Bolt could still participate in conversation, Ahura could not without assistance or exhaustion. Irelle, on the other hand, never wanted her daughter to experience it. In the end Ahura dragged Irelle into his next therapy session for help mediating the disagreement.

“ _When did you get here?_ ”

Verna quickly glanced at her watch. “ _Just a few minutes ago._ ”

“ _I didn’t know you were even coming, I wouldn’t have slept so long._ ”

“Actually, son,” Norm said, maneuvering the baby to pass her back to her mother. “We need to talk to your parents.” 

Ahura eyes his mother and father long enough to see that something serious warranted discussion. Irelle nodded towards the door, indicating they should leave, then gave Ahura the baby so she could fashion the wrap around her torso once again. He took the opportunity to make one more round so everyone could say their goodbyes, then helped Irelle place the baby upright against her chest, freeing her hands. Medusa saw them out, and slowly closed the door behind them.

Without the baby’s tiny cheeps and grunts, the apartment seemed quiet. Verna folded her hands and placed them on the table, her knuckles white. “I suppose you know why we’re here.”

Medusa looked to Black Bolt, allowing him to take the lead. “ _We assume so. Vinatos contacted us earlier today. I imagine you’re angry._ ”

“That doesn’t even _begin_ to describe how we feel, Black Bolt,” Norm seethed, his voice harsher than Black Bolt had ever heard him. “Why would you hide something like that from us?”

Medusa laid her hand across Black Bolt’s elbow, an action from which she derived strength throughout the years as well as used to show her support. “Please understand, we didn’t withhold the information out of spite or malice. We would never do anything to hurt you or Maeve.”

“She’s so upset, Medusa. Actually, no, she’s not even upset, she’s _grieving_ over the things she saw today.”

Medusa nodded, her face unreadable. “Of course she is, it is understandable that she would do so. May I start from the beginning, and explain our thought processes as she’s aged?”

Norm and Verna nodded, Verna unfolding a tissue from her pocket and dabbing her eyes. Seeing her baby so upset tore Verna’s heart in half, the same way she became upset whenever Ahura had a meltdown of some kind as a child. Her children would always be her children, and to see them in pain cut her deeply.

Medusa sat up straight to prepare herself for the subsequent information. “While Mara was pregnant, Maximus showed no indication that anything was wrong. At least, not to us. Supposedly he was taking his medication regularly, and since we had no trouble from him we assumed it was working. 

“The fact that he was being affectionate and not getting into trouble was a _gift_ compared to his previous behaviors and mental states. So we allowed him and Mara to go about their lives and planned returning him to their home in Minnesota once Maeve was born.”

Black Bolt nodded along, covering Medusa’s hand when he wanted to continue the story. “The day Maeve was born, he called us in a panic because she fell. When we arrived, Mara was still bleeding profusely, so we took her to the infirmary immediately rather than question Maximus for details. I’ve seen my brother’s response to trouble he’s caused when unmedicated; at times it appeared he found joy in the suffering of others. But this time his reaction was different, it was one of terror above all else.”

Verna sniffled, thinking back to the day they adopted Maeve, born at the equivalent of about 33 weeks gestation. Everything about her was tiny and fragile.

“Maximus knew he would be unable to care for her, not by himself. He left her in our care and fled-“

“An innocent man wouldn’t have needed to do so,” Norm grunted, scratching at his deep gray beard. 

“That May be so,” Medusa nodded. “However, our focus was on Maeve at the time. Suddenly we had an extremely delicate infant that needed a home, and Maximus was no longer our priority. We found her a home, your home, and didn’t hear from Maximus at all until he returned unexpectedly when she was six. I don’t believe we need to recount that story.”

Verna nodded, trying to forget the week in which Maximus kidnapped Maeve and attempted to escape across the Canadian border with her. It was the worst week of Verna’s life. 

“We knew Maximus was unwell at the time, due to the lack of regular medication. But again, our priority was Maeve’s safety. It has _always_ been her safety. The bracelet on his wrist forces an injection of his psychiatric medication, and it’s stabilized him. We’ve had no problems from him since, and no reason to suspect he was planning any kind of scheme.”

Black Bolt tapped Medusa’s hand once again. “ _Maximus loves Maeve, and he loved Mara. We have no proof that he caused her to fall, that Mara’s death was more than cruelty of Fate._ ”

Too many Bible verses spun through Norm’s head, that Mara’s death was God’s timing and not merely “fate.” Black Bolt and Medusa’s words did little to salve the anger and hurt he felt. “Does he even remember what happened?”

Black Bolt and Medusa both shook their heads without hesitation. “He remembers giving her up, but not what happened prior to doing so. We never told you because we did not see a reason to do so.”

Verna no longer hid her tears, her words strained. “We allowed a _monster_ around our daughter, and you encouraged it.”

“Not again,” Norm concluded. “You told me once that she won’t become an adult until her mid-thirties, and once she reaches adulthood she can make the choice to see him or not. But we don’t want her around him, not whole she is still an adolescent.”

Such an ultimatum hurt Black Bolt, as he knew that as soon as he told Maximus it could potentially derail him. The fallout would be catastrophic, and whatever progress Maximus made could be for nought. “ _That is certainly your decision._ ”

“We’ve raised _two_ Boltagon children, Medusa,” spat Verna, her eyes puffy and red. “And you know as well as I do that we’d do anything to protect them. Sometimes I wish Pope stayed with us, but the Lord had other plans for him. We never let any harm come to him, and we won’t allow any harm to come to Maeve. Even if that means she does not see any of you.”

Such a declaration visibly shook both Medusa and Black Bolt, both of whom sat straight upwards with alarm. Medusa was struck silent, unsure how to refute such a position.

“We need to go home,” Norm sighed, unsatisfied at the lack of resolution. “We’ll pray for you.”

Black Bolt nodded then stood to open the front door for them, shaking Norm’s hand when the older man held his outward. Norm did so virtually every time they met out of habit, but today the handshake lingered somewhat, as if it would be the last time Norm would do so.


	8. Chapter 8

Gerry was whistling to himself, hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting nervously, as he walked down the street towards the Adams' home. He'd been planning to ask Maeve on a date for the past few weeks, but she hadn't been to work, or into Attilan at all, and even Ahura hadn't heard from her, or her human parents, though he was so exhausted from juggling his job and parenting Tae that Gerry wasn't sure he'd noticed Maeve's prolonged absence. Today, steeling himself, Gerry had asked for the Adams' home address so he could go and check on Maeve himself (and ask her out if the opportunity arose and he didn't lose his nerve.) Swallowing hard, he knocked on the front door, rehearsing what he planned to say in his head once again.

The door was opened by an older human woman with greying blonde hair. “Hello?”

It took Gerry a few seconds to place her name- Verna, that was it. He smiled, or tried to, his stomach churning with unease. Why hadn't it occurred to him that Maeve herself might not get the door?! He gulped. “Um, hi. I was hoping to see Maeve. I mean, see if she's OK, if she is. Because she hasn't been to work, or spoken to anyone in her family- uh, her Inhuman family, for a long while, and I'm getting a bit worried...” He faltered, knowing he was babbling, and feeling a shiver run down his spine at the hard expression now on Verna's face as she folded her arms.

“Are you from Attilan?”

“No! Uh, not exactly. I mean, I live there, in _New_  Attilan, but my father was from Orollan, and my mom only turned Inhuman in the Terrigen Outbreak, thirty years ago or whenever it was...”

Comprehension dawned on Verna's face, though her expression didn't look any kinder. “You're Gerry, the young man who works with Ahura.”

He nodded, irrationally excited. Had Maeve told her parents about him? If she talked about him at home, maybe she did like him as much as he liked her, and maybe he really did have a chance!

Verna folded her arms. “I'm sorry, but Maeve isn't free to see you at the moment.”

“Oh.” Gerry's face fell. “I can come back later, or tomorrow...”

“No.” The word was curt. “I'm sorry, but her father and I have decided it's best for Maeve to have... a break from seeing the Inhumans for the time being.” She sighed, sympathy for him in her eyes. “I know it may seem unfair to you, but... we've recently learned something worrying, and for Maeve's sake, we're keeping her away from yo- them, at present.”

Gerry blinked rapidly, confused. _What?_  “But Maeve's Maximus' daught-” He cut himself off abruptly when Verna's face darkened. _Right, probably shouldn't remind her human parents of her biological father_. Saying 'You can't do that' didn't seem wise either, and he just managed to stop himself from doing so.

“Verna, who is it?” A male voice called from inside the house, and footsteps approached the door. A tall, thin man, older than Verna, or so it appeared, came to stand beside her, squinting hard, as if he could barely see Gerry. “Who are you?”

“This is Gerry.” Verna said quietly. “Ahura's assistant from work. He asked to see Maeve.”

“No.” The word was cold and as uncompromising as ice.

Gerry, against his better judgement, protested. “I just want to see if she's OK!”

“We are her parents, young man, and while she isn't at her best at present, _we_  will ensure she is looked after.” The man was glaring at him now. “I am sorry to be so harsh, but your king and queen were told to give us space. So if they sent you here to see if-”

“They didn't.” Gerry blurted, utterly confused. He'd barely ever spoken to the king and queen. His dealings were almost exclusively with Ahura, and he had no idea what was going on right now. These humans were acting like Inhumans were their enemies or something, when Gerry _knew_  they'd raised Ahura for some years, and they'd raised Maeve all her life. “Look, I just wanted to check on Maeve, I was worried about her, that's all. No-one _sent_  me here.”

Verna's face softened slightly, but the man's didn't. She put her hand on her husband's arm. “Norm, couldn't we-”

“No.”

“It's fine, Dad.” Maeve's voice came from just behind him, and they all whirled, startled. None of them had heard her approach. Gerry frowned, concerned, when she shouldered her way between her parents. Her voice had been hoarse, and now, seeing her, her eyes red and swollen, with distinct dark rings under them, his heart lurched. _Something_  was clearly very wrong. What was happening?

“I really don't think he knew anything about it.” Maeve continued, her eyes on her dad. “He's the one who gave me access to Mara's medical files, and that's how I found out the truth.”

The man- Norm- harrumphed softly, but didn't stop Maeve as she addressed Gerry, whose head was spinning by now.

“I appreciate you coming to see me, but I can't deal with this right now. I need time with just my parents, people I know I can trust, until I figure some things out. I don't want to be around any Inhumans right now. I'm sorry, but you need to go.” Blinking back tears, she turned round and went back inside.

Gerry stood, frozen, unable to process what was going on. Verna gave him a sad look. “I think it's best you go. Thank you for coming to see Maeve. It's nice to know her friends are thinking of her while she's struggling.”

And with that, Norm gave a curt nod, and closed the door, leaving Gerry with nothing to do but turn around and start heading home, swallowing his hurt and confusion. What could possibly have happened to make Maeve and her human parents want to cut any and all Inhumans out of their lives?

 


End file.
